Bushland is often used as a dump for rubbish of all kinds. Clearing weeds as part of regeneration work often exposes material. This may be fairly safe eg bricks, or potentially dangerous eg fibro cement containing asbestos.

Asbestos is a natural material that was widely used in the buliding industry throughout the mid 20th century. It’s adverse effects on health are now well known.

It is most commonly found as asbestos cement – fibro – but sometimes turns up as the more dangerous insulation form.

If you find a material that you think might be asbestos leave it alone and let a supervisor know what you have found. Licensing is needed for removal and it should only be handled by those with appropriate training and protective equipment.

www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/healthsafety/healthsafetytopics/Asbestos/Pages

Sharp objects like broken glass, metal sheeting, wire and other debris often turn up on sites. Be on the lookout for material as you sit, kneel, or stick your hands into a pile of weeds! Be careful when handling sharp objects and carrying bags of rubbish out. Use good gloves when handling. Don’t mix them in with the bags of weeds!

Syringes and needles can get thrown into bushland, particularly on the edges of places where the drugs are used eg car parks. Do not handle syringes or needles directly. Pick up tongs or similar tools can be used. Carrying a sharps container as part of the standard site kit is advisable so that any syringes found can be removed safely.